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MSNBC.com's Bill Geer took this beautiful picture of Crater Lake while on vacation in Oregon in June.

This feature was created about 7,000 years ago when an active volcano finished a major eruption. The magma chamber below the mountain was emptied by the eruption and the mountain collapsed into itself. The cauldron filled with water over the centuries and subsequent eruptions formed several cinder cones within the cauldron - one of which is visible today above the water's surface. This area receives some of the heaviest snow fall for the region and averages about 533 inches per year. (Bill Geer / MSNBC.com)

The grand tradition of the gap year: that glorious time between school and work when young people take an extended break to see the world, explore their options and, perhaps, get a better sense of how they want to live the rest of their lives. These days, more people facing middle age are wondering why young people should have all the fun.